The search for a missing boater along the St. Johns River in Brevard County came to a sad end Sunday.
Danny Oliver's body was found near the State Road 528 bridge Sunday morning.
Investigators said the 61-year-old Cocoa man was thrown from his airboat during a collision the night before.
Staff at Lone Cabbage Fish Camp, which was described as one of Oliver’s favorite spots, said he would be missed.
“The river will not be the same without him. Sunday out here will not be the same. I keep looking for him, like he’s going to walk in the door and just laugh,” said Jenny Cooley, a friend of his.
The restaurant is one of the last places Oliver visited before his accident on the St. Johns River.
Oliver was president of the St. Johns River Airboat Association. The group met at Lone Cabbage Fish Camp Saturday evening before traveling up and down the river.
When Oliver’s airboat was found without him, other members of the group tied it down and started searching for him.
Cooley said they were all like family, so it was only natural for them to initiate the search.
“He was like the uncle to everybody. They just looked for him. We really thought that he would be found, safe, hanging from a tree or something, and laughing at us,” she said.
Oliver’s body was found near where officials said he was thrown from his airboat after a collision.
Cooley said they will remember his jovial disposition and willingness to help others.
“If you knew him and you were one of his good friends, I mean, he would do anything for you,” she said.
Oliver leaves behind a son and wife, with whom he planned to spend his retirement traveling.
An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.